I am new here and new to motorcycle adventuring in general. I guess you can say I've been a road warrior for a number of years. This year I bought the wife and I a pair of '70s 175 enduros. Now we're looking for spots to ride. So far I've found a couple good powerline right-of-ways with open gates that are pretty fun but I want to do some exploring.

A friend of mine told me about some roads between Monroe and Duvall off Ben Howard Road. Today I took my truck up and snooped around a little. I got to Cedar Ponds Lake via Cedar Ponds Road and hit a gated dead-end so I turned around. There are a lot of blue gates up here. Some posts I fond via search (dated like 2006-2009) have some discussion about gate busting and just riding around.

Was wondering if anybody has been up in that neck of the woods lately and could give me some heads up on good roads to ride or stuff to look for. With the 175s not doing super great on the highway, my access to routes directly off say 203 is basically limited by where I feel good about parking my truck.

I am new here and new to motorcycle adventuring in general. I guess you can say I've been a road warrior for a number of years. This year I bought the wife and I a pair of '70s 175 enduros. Now we're looking for spots to ride. So far I've found a couple good powerline right-of-ways with open gates that are pretty fun but I want to do some exploring.

A friend of mine told me about some roads between Monroe and Duvall off Ben Howard Road. Today I took my truck up and snooped around a little. I got to Cedar Ponds Lake via Cedar Ponds Road and hit a gated dead-end so I turned around. There are a lot of blue gates up here. Some posts I fond via search (dated like 2006-2009) have some discussion about gate busting and just riding around.

Was wondering if anybody has been up in that neck of the woods lately and could give me some heads up on good roads to ride or stuff to look for. With the 175s not doing super great on the highway, my access to routes directly off say 203 is basically limited by where I feel good about parking my truck.

If you go east of Duvall off of Kelly Rd there is Stossil Creek Rd , take it and
At one time you used to be able to hook up with Cedar pond Rd .

I have not been up there for a long time. Last I heard there are lots of new gates.
I did go up there a couple months ago but not too far in and did not hit any gates.

Maybe the gates at the north end are the only ones ?

Have been stopped up there before
to make sure bike is legal and m/c endorsement .

The Stossel Creek area has been blocked off on both ends for some time now. There is no legal "off-road" motorcycle riding in that area off of the roads, nor is there any legal off-road motorcycling anywhere along 203.

It is legal to ride street legal motorcycles on the dirt roads up there, but it is not legal to go beyond the gates.

Its too bad. You used to be able to go all the way from Duvall to Monroe on the Main Line truck road.

As folks have mentioned, Stossel Creek Road has been closed to thru-traffic for a few years now, and even before it was gated, most all the side-roads were closed anyway.

There is one fun little gravel-road trip you can take from the south end of Lake Joy into Carnation, via Tolt Highlands road. It's easy and relatively short, but you can explore back in that area for a couple of hours at lease.

What kind of enforcement do they impose on riding these roads? If you could get around the gates, how likely is it that you'll get caught? Is it just a ticket, or do they impound the bike and throw your butt in Forest Service jail?

I'm also curious whether some of the new electric dirt bikes might get around their objections. From what I've heard, most of the objections to motorcycles on these roads have to do with noise and the fire danger. Perhaps an exemption can be obtained for electrics, which all but eliminate those threats.

What kind of enforcement do they impose on riding these roads? If you could get around the gates, how likely is it that you'll get caught? Is it just a ticket, or do they impound the bike and throw your butt in Forest Service jail?

I'm also curious whether some of the new electric dirt bikes might get around their objections. From what I've heard, most of the objections to motorcycles on these roads have to do with noise and the fire danger. Perhaps an exemption can be obtained for electrics, which all but eliminate those threats.

I don't foresee any restrictions being lifted due to electric bikes. It still has a motor and "they" don't want you to have any fun.

Last weekend we attended the Puget Sound Motorcycle off Road intermediate riding course. One of the members of the group was a guy on plated KLR 250 - it had Sheriff's logo on one side and Blue/Red LED lights above headlight. The license place had the XMT signed, which means official bike...

It turns out he is a retired State Trooper who got a job with DNR patrolling the gated roads.

He said that mainly they go after wood theft, which is widespread but also enforce traffic (understand gate closure).

It seems the consequences are not pretty, last time I checked the RCW relating to gate closure it was up to $5000 fine or up to 6 month of jail and all it takes is a hiker to call...

Cannot confirm 100% but it also looked like his Ford F-150 had a full communication setup, including geo level navigation and when he gets the call they transmit where the hiker seen you and the direction you were heading, one guy waiting at the gate, the other going after you on the KLX 250 ...

Only if the money spent on that equipment were used to open and maintain one through road so we would have HWY2 connected to I90 via dirt road on the west side of cascades

I have been caught behind the gate off of cedar ponds rd. It is also called the cherry valley truck trail. I was picked off by a game agent. He asked how I got there, and I told him that I accessed it thru my friends back yard. I grew up in that area, and still live out there. They added about 14 gates a few years back. I did not get anything other then a warning, and was advised that the land for the most part belongs to longview fibr, and DNR. I have seen the DNR motorcycle guys out along FS road 6010, and the Sultan Basin area, but almost never on the Cedar Ponds rd. People do still ride out there, but for the most part, it is people that live up there, and know the deer trails for access.

I know this is old but found it worth updating - there are still gates on both sides of the Cherry Valley Truck Trail and both were
locked when I last checked a month ago. DNR absolutely does patrol this area still as well, heavily around the Stossel Creek Rd side. Even more than them, DFW is up there in moderate force and patrol in unmarked, tan F-150s. Ran into one a few years back, who was a nice younger man just back from Iraq I got to talking with, and he stated there are two game wardens up there at all times. I was pretty deep up there, past the gates that were left open and was only given a warning. Was informed if I had another meeting with him in the next five years, it would cost me $5,000 and my vehicle.